1424 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 33
It is sometimes remarked that by the chanting process one begins to
purify himself and can take birth in his next life in a brahmana family
and then be reformed. But at this present moment, even those who are
born in the best brahmana families are not reformed, nor is there any
certainty that they are actually born of brahmana fathers. Formerly the
garbhadhana reformatory system was prevalent, but at the present moment
there is no such garbhadhana, or seed-giving ceremony. Under these
circumstances no one knows if a man is factually born of a brahmana
father. Whether one has acquired the qualification of a brahmana depends
on the judgement of the bona fide spiritual master. He bestows upon the
disciple the position of a brahmana by his own judgement. When one is
accepted as a brahmana in the sacred thread ceremony, under the
pajicaratric system, then he is dvija, twice-born. That is confirmed by
Sanatana Gosvami: dvijatvam jayate. By the process of initiation by the
spiritual master, a person is accepted as a brahmana in his purified state of
chanting the holy name of the Lord. He then makes further progress to
become a qualified Vaignava, which means that the brahminical qualifica-
tion is already acquired.
TEXT 7
Tt I Was at
afHETA Ida AT THAT |
aged GEG! aga
margaret gafea J F110 ll
aho bata sva-paco ’to gariyan
yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya
brahmaniicur nama grnanti ye te
aho bata—oh how glorious; $va-pacah—a dog-eater; atah—hence;gariyan—
worshipable; yat—of whom; jihvaagre—on the tip of the tongue;
vartate—is; ndma—the holy name; tubhyam—unto You; tepuh tapah—
practiced austerities; te—they ; juhuvuh—executed fire sacrifices; sasnuh—
took bath in the sacred rivers; aryah—Aryans; brahma aniicuh—studied the
Vedas; nama—the holy name; grnanti—accept; ye—they who; te— Your.
